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Wednesday, May 13, 2015

7 Signs Sports Culture Has Changed

The following 7 signs indicate a changing of the sports landscape.
Some changes are more significant than others, but all serve as
reminders that the good ol' days can’t last forever. Let's get started.

1) Athlete's Personal Lives Are Big News
Social
media has provided the opportunity for fans to be up-close and personal
(maybe a little too close) to their favorite sports stars. Two months
ago, ESPN showed a segment on Amar'e Stoudemire's wine bath. To take things a bit further, the ESPN correspondent jumped into the tub with Stoudemire to give his personal take on the wine bath. Too much.
It's a good idea to connect athletes to the fans, but this goes a little too far. Such as "reporting" LeBron James' visit to the dentist.

2) No More Bo Jacksons

Bo Jackson

Due
to the demand of keeping athletes in a designated sport, this
atmosphere makes it hard for athletes to transition and even excel in
different sports simultaneously. Players are able to accomplish this in
college such as, Jameis Winston (baseball/football at Florida State),
but to perform at a high-level in the professional field is not an easy
task today.

Deion Sanders

Many people may have forgotten, but Deion Sanders is the only person to play in both a Super Bowl and a World Series, while also running track. That's a true multi-sport athlete.
Multi-talented
athletes could realistically play multiple sports at a high level.
However, the specialization and time commitment required to have success
in just one professional sport all but eliminates the possibility of
anyone playing two.

3) Digital Trash Talk
If you're familiar with ESPN's 30-for-30 series, you may have watched Winning Time: Reggie Miller vs. The New York Knicks (A
film that explores the rivalry between the Indiana Pacers and New York
Knicks). This episode is most likely in my top 5 for the "30-for-30"
series. The film shows how Reggie Miller did not back down to John
Starks, Anthony Mason, or even Spike Lee on the sideline.

If
any player today re-enacted the verbal performance Reggie Miller put on
display during the New York series in the 90's, I would be very
surprised. Today, most athletes take their beef to Twitter instead of doing their talking on-the-field. After all, athletes are often penalized for their conduct on the field.
The
great thing about trash-talking in the days before social media was it
generally had to be done in the flesh. Michael Jordan, Mike Tyson,
Muhammad Ali—their in-person big talk helped define each of them. For
players today, it's just not the same.4)Baseball Cards Are Irrelevant

Remember
when you used to brag about having a player's rookie card? Those days
are long gone. The disinterest with collecting cards has greatly
declined, as well as its value. With the vast array of video game
selections, younger sports fans have a reason to turn a blind eye to the
thrill of trading sports cards.

5) Memes Are The New Blooper Reels

Since
the Internet is a thing, and since Photoshop is a thing, no longer can a
player trip on a basketball court without the world mercilessly making
fun of him.

Baylor Football LB Shawn Oakman

The
sports world is definitely not immune from the meme craze. We've seen
players such as Shawn Oakman, Brandon Knight, and recently Tony Parker,
become victims to the meme-driven social media culture.
I have to admit, most of these memes are pretty entertaining.

6) Unproven Rookies Lead Jersey Sales

Shortly after he was drafted in 2014, Johnny Manziel’s Cleveland Browns jersey led the NFL
in sales for a time. When an unproven rookie can generate that level of
popularity without having taken one snap in a professional game, you
know times are changing.

Johnny Manziel

Manziel
was a star in college, but people who bought his pro jersey did it
largely for one reason: hype. We now live in a world where hype can, and
often does, trump actual performance.

7)Selfies Are The New Autographs

An
autograph from your favorite player used to be the Holy Grail in
sports. Now, it seems physical access to players is more limited, plus
memorabilia dealers have left a sour taste in some athletes’ mouths.
With autographs losing their luster, selfies have swooped in to pick up
the slack.
Case in point: Carey Price of the Montreal Canadiens recently posed for a selfie
with a young fan during a stoppage in play. Instead of a signed puck in
a glass case, the fan will likely preserve that selfie for years to
come.